It’s coffee shop music month here on the Of Music And Muses blog, and in deciding on a topic to write about for Theory Week, I came across a Billboard article from 2016 talking about the Starbucks partnership with Spotify (read the article here). So apparently, customers can use the Starbucks app to add their favorite songs to assist in creating playlists of music to listen to while inside the store. It kind of reminds me of the 50’s diner jukeboxes where you can put in a nickel and listen your favorite doo-wop bop. I had no idea that this was a thing at Starbucks (I am a Caribou Coffee girl myself)! I guess technology just baffles me sometimes! This is such a neat way for music to be incorporated into a public place!
Coffee shops aren’t the only places incorporating music into their business, however. On a day out-on-the-town, you might hear music in grocery stores, book stores, elevators, subways, lobbies, the dentist/doctor’s office, gift shops, restaurants, and the list goes on. Wow, music is everywhere! Why do public establishments even incorporate music into their venues in the first place? Here are four reasons as to why I believe music has a purpose in the public place:
Atmosphere and Culture
Different kinds of music have different effects on people. For example, you might listen to a Beethoven symphony during a study session to help you focus, or you may listen to Heavy Metal in your shower to help you wake up in the morning (I am not ashamed to admit that I have done both of these!). The same goes for a public place. A coffee shop might play acoustic indie folk music to invoke a feeling of calmness, and a Japanese restaurant might play a song using traditional instruments of the Asian culture to give you the impression that you are in Japan. This ambiance is a key factor in giving people an authentic experience at that public place; people crave that experience and authenticity!
Customer Duration
Studies have shown that music can contribute to determining how long you stay at a public place. A coffee shop, for example, might play slower, calmer music during the slow part of the day to keep people in their seats, lose track of time, and maybe stick around and order another cup of coffee. However, during rush hour, they might play a more up-tempo playlist to get people in and out the door quicker. As an experienced barista, I can say that this method works if you need people to give up their seats!
Improving Business
People are influenced by music, and if the place plays music that a person likes, that person is more likely to stop by that place again. The opposite can occur when a place plays music that isn’t in that person’s taste. Music can also reflect the brand of the business, giving people a taste of the company not just through their product.
Keeping Minds Busy
Waiting in line is the absolute worst. Impatience is my weakness. However, if there is music playing in the background of wherever I am waiting, I notice that I become a little bit more tolerant of the wait. I think because my mind becomes more occupied with the lyrics or the instruments of the song and not the torturous wait in line. This kind of correlates with the atmosphere reason that I mentioned earlier, but music just has a way of taking you to a different place or mindset, even if you are standing in line!
When used appropriately and properly executed, music can benefit business, attract people, make them feel good, and maybe even encourage you to buy that extra coffee! Again, music is everywhere…we just have to listen (August Rush, anyone?) Until next week…
♪ Lauren
Questions: Are there any other reasons that I didn’t talk about as to why public places use music? What public place draws you in with it music? (ex: I love it when Barnes and Noble plays a Pentatonix Christmas album during the holidays; it puts me in a good, Christmas-y mood!) Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
*Need some coffee shop ambiance??? Check out this month’s Coffee Shop Playlist!
Twitter: @ofmusicandmuses
Of Music & Muses 